A new grant from the National Disability Research Partnership will facilitate the research partnership, which aims to move beyond risk-focused approaches to sexual safety, and celebrate sexual agency and pleasure for neurodivergent women, trans and gender diverse people.
The project will be led by Dr Sophie Hindes at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society, in collaboration with Women with Disabilities Victoria, the Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre (OTARC) and La Trobe’s Reducing Gender-based Violence Research Group (ReGEN).
The $60k seed grant will facilitate a co-designed research proposal, aimed at ensuring the research is shaped by neurodivergent women, trans and gender diverse people to build new understandings of what sexual safety and pleasure means to them. This co-designed proposal will form the basis of further and wider research for advocacy, health and justice reform.
“Traditionally, ideas of sexual safety been framed around risk management, particularly for people with disabilities,” said Hindes. “But we need to shift the focus towards pleasure, agency, and autonomy. Through this co-design process, neurodivergent women, trans and gender diverse people will directly shape the research agenda, driving the change needed in how we approach sexual violence prevention.”
The co-design process will bring together representatives from partner organisations alongside neurodivergent women, trans and gender diverse people in a series of collaborative workshops over the next 10 months.
“Women with Disabilities Victoria is thrilled to partner with La Trobe University, Olga Tennison Autism Research Centre and the Reducing Gender-based Violence Network,” said Women with Disabilities Victoria Acting CEO Julie Kun.
“Together, we have a powerhouse of knowledge and experience that will enable us to deliver this groundbreaking project in a way that celebrates the agency of neurodivergent women, trans, and gender diverse people in Victoria. By building new understandings of sexual safety and pleasure, and co-designing research with the community, we aim to create robust evidence for advocacy, health, and justice reform.”
“At ARCSHS, we have really pioneered research that centres the experiences, knowledge and goals of the marginalised communities we work with,” said Professor Jennifer Power, Acting Director of ARCSHS.
“This grant is an exciting opportunity to reframe ideas of sexual safety from a purely negative model of avoiding bad experiences, and instead, opening up to the possibility of actively supporting positive and affirming sexual experiences. This is a partnership we’re very excited about, and an incredible opportunity to strengthen existing community relationships and build new ones.”
